Ch.557Chapter 21. Blood Pack (17)

Originally, they say the most interesting things to watch are water, fights, and fire.

Especially if it doesn’t directly involve me, and if the issue won’t cause any harm to me or those around me, there’s nothing better to watch.

That’s how it is right now.

KAAA-ANG!!

On the bridge connecting Incheon and Ganghwa Island.

Two colors of magical energy clash against each other.

Every time the black with gold undertones crosses with blue, sparks of magical energy fly.

“UOOOOH!!”

With a battle cry straight out of a historical drama, the young man swings his greatsword.

KAAA-ANG!

As blue magical energy flashes like an aura, the golden patterns engraved on the greatsword emit an intense light.

[Cheok Jun-gyeong must have made that greatsword with Managold.]

A two-handed greatsword as big as his own body is Cheok Jun-gyeong’s weapon.

Not a Zweihander-type greatsword from the West, but the kind of greatsword that typically appears in fantasy.

“What is that thing? A kitchen knife?”

“More like a Chinese cleaver, I’d say.”

[…….]

If I had to compare it to a similar weapon, I’d call it a “Buster Blade.”

Why a blade? Because it’s not a straight sword but has a wide edge specialized for slashing—”cutting.”

[Cheok Jun-gyeong, Cheok Jun-gyeong.]

A special case where his hero name and real name are the same.

More precisely, he’s an ability user whose name became linked to his ability before he even turned two, after the government and the Association persuaded his parents, having noticed his ability since infancy.

[Like Battle God Lee Jun-young, he’s an S-class with physical enhancement abilities.]

The prevailing opinion is that if he were as old as Battle God, or at least in his twenties, he would show a similar ability level.

[Actually, he has another ability too.]

“Oh my, really?”

[Yes. But this is just speculation.]

It’s certain, but I can’t upload it to the Syndicate’s information—the Syndicate Wiki.

I can’t include Cheok Jun-gyeong’s second ability in the database that all internal members of the Syndicate can access.

That’s knowledge from the original work, and there’s no justification to reveal it yet.

‘No one else can find out. Not even the Chairman.’

If they discover that I have knowledge from the original work and know everyone’s secrets, the S-class heroes would certainly demand to know how I learned their weaknesses.

…Even if they did find out, I could probably smooth things over by talking with the Chairman, but then I’d be indebted to her again.

‘As a husband, I can’t keep asking my wife for help.’

It’s a matter of male pride.

And even if I don’t mention what Cheok Jun-gyeong’s ability is, the Chairman probably already knows since she’s omniscient.

If she hasn’t revealed it first, then it’s a minor issue that doesn’t need to be shared with others.

“Oppa, do you have any guesses? I was on the same team as him, but I never noticed anything like that.”

[Even teammates can keep their abilities secret.]

Like me.

Like me, who has secrets, though not abilities.

[There’s one definite skill that allows him to hide his true ability by presenting himself as a physical enhancement type.]

An ability befitting the name Cheok Jun-gyeong.

[Weapon Master.]

Someone who can handle any weapon well.

Whatever the form of the object in his hand, if it can be used as a “weapon,” he can maximize its performance to the limit.

People typically referred to the historical Cheok Jun-gyeong as “Sword Master Cheok,” but the young man who has lived with the name Cheok Jun-gyeong from birth, in the image of that historical figure, has an ability not limited to swords.

Weapon Master Cheok.

Master of weapons.

Because he can handle any weapon well, he deliberately fights with weapons larger than his own build to hide his true ability.

Even if it means using his allocated Managold to create a dedicated greatsword.

If he were to use his full power, he could certainly rise above his current S-class ranking.

But.

“If Cheok Jun-gyeong is a Weapon Master, then it makes sense he’s being pushed back now.”

[Right. It’s a bad matchup.]

If Cheok Jun-gyeong is a Weapon Master.

[If you’re going to fight a Metal Master, you should leave all metal weapons behind.]

Black Taejo is a “Metal Master.”

[Right now, Taejo is going easy on him.]

KAAA-AANG!!

Once again, the two mana forces collide.

A blue slash is swung toward the wall of black, swirling mana, but the slash only leaves a scratch without penetrating the wall.

[He’s different from Armored Taejo. Different from Armored Taejo.]

The one there isn’t Armored Taejo who only used metals he controlled.

[This is Taejo’s—Black Taejo’s—real power.]

A being who, depending on the situation, can even control an opponent’s dedicated weapon.

[From the beginning.]

Black Taejo has the power to take away Cheok Jun-gyeong’s dedicated weapon and leave him bare-handed if he wanted to.

[After all, it was Armored Taejo who made those dedicated weapons.]

* * *

“Kugh!!”

Cheok Jun-gyeong grips his greatsword tightly and steps back.

The veins on his hands holding the sword’s hilt stand out prominently, and he readjusts his stance while maintaining his grip.

“You….”

“This is quite unfortunate.”

The mysterious man, the dog seller, places the end of his cane on the ground and extends his hand to the side.

“Like this, you can’t even approach me, can you?”

“Kugh….”

“At this rate, you won’t be able to get past my children and reach me.”

Grrrr.

With the sound of metal clashing, the two golden Jindo dogs beside the dog seller bared their teeth and began threatening Cheok Jun-gyeong.

“I regret to inform you, Cheok Jun-gyeong. You cannot defeat me.”

“…You. Do I look like a pushover to you?”

“……?”

“You… Haa. Never mind. I’ll deal with that guy separately later.”

Cheok Jun-gyeong frowned intensely and gripped his greatsword again.

“Damn it, this isn’t some martial arts novel. He was told to hide 30% of his skills, but is he really only showing 30% of what he can do?”

“I don’t understand what you’re saying.”

“Ah, shut up. I’m being considerate because it’s me. Why are you paying attention to a hero’s muttering?”

The greatsword was filled with Cheok Jun-gyeong’s magical energy, almost excessively so.

“But seriously, isn’t it too much that my magical energy gets eroded every time your Jindo dogs bite my sword?”

“That’s my ability, isn’t it?”

“Wow, that’s so broken.”

“I am a dog seller, after all.”

“…What a Taejo move. Damn it.”

Cheok Jun-gyeong glanced behind him.

Behind him, the Hero Association President and many others from the Association were watching the battle from a distance.

Not just the Association.

Broadcasting helicopters in the sky and a swarm of drones—whether authorized or not—were streaming the battle in real-time.

“…With citizens watching, a hero can’t lose.”

Cheok Jun-gyeong raised his greatsword vertically and began gathering magical energy into it.

“Here I go. Lord of Radiant Wings-style Great Slash.”

“Using a technique that imitates the Lord of Radiant Wings, you are—”

“And who are you imitating right now?”

“……Hmm.”

The dog seller pointed his cane forward.

“That’s a secret.”

The moment the golden Jindo dogs were sucked into his cane, a massive black form appeared behind the dog seller.

A black mass of cast iron, reaching 10 meters in length.

Soon the cast iron expanded like a dump truck, quickly taking on a definite form.

“Come, Golden Hound.”

Saaaah.

“Golden-Jindo.”

No sooner had the dog seller climbed onto the head of the giant iron dog with his cane than golden powder began to sparkle and coat the surface of the giant dog.

“Everyone wants the hero to win, but I’m afraid this time will be different.”

The inside gleamed with black cast iron, while the outside looked like it was armored in gold.

“Even a hero should naturally lose if they’re weaker than a villain.”

“…You dog bastard.”

“I’m a dog seller, actually.”

“You, really….”

Irritation and killing intent began to fill Cheok Jun-gyeong’s eyes.

“Whether you die or become Zenros, I don’t care anymore…!!”

“That should be my line.”

The dog seller lightly massaged his shoulder with his hand and pointed his cane forward with a look of assured victory.

And so, he failed to notice.

Something inside his sleeve, on the inside of his wrist, was glinting.

* * *

[People are amazing. They drop everything to watch whenever S-class heroes clash.]

The ones spreading Goblin rumors on the internet are the tavern owners.

Except for them, everyone is now watching the battle between the two S-class fighters.

[After this battle ends, when those people check the internet and look at the wiki to understand the situation, all they’ll find are traces of the information war waged by our Syndicate’s tavern owners.]

Sitting in front of the monitor with two computers turned on, using two of the three monitors to spread conspiracy theories via broadcasts while watching the battle between the two S-class fighters in real-time on a small monitor connected to the streaming PC.

-Ooooh!! That guy who looks like Taejo is so cool! Ah, ahem. Sorry. It’s just that the way he handles beasts so elegantly doesn’t seem like Taejo. Ahem, go Cheok Jun-gyeong! Show the power of a hero! Cut down that Golden Hound with your greatsword!

Or the opposite.

“Oppa. How many viewers right now?”

“Just on this streaming channel, 200,000. Including other platforms, there must be at least 2 million watching in real-time. Globally.”

This wasn’t a scheduled battle.

It’s just a fight that suddenly broke out.

Even Black Taejo fighting Cheok Jun-gyeong wasn’t part of our plan.

[Even I’m completely absorbed in it, so imagine how others feel.]

Cheok Jun-gyeong simply arrived at the scene, and Black Taejo just happened to block his way.

[What should we do? He doesn’t seem to have received the message that the operation is over.]

Our plan ended when we escaped from Battle God.

[He’s too focused on fighting. When you’re winning, you don’t notice anything else.]

I sent the mission-complete signal, so Hyun Se-rin was waiting at the rendezvous point.

But Taejo didn’t come.

Because of the battle, he missed the signal since his opponent was S-class.

Normally, I should intervene.

The next step would be to jump in and meaningfully say “That’s enough” to stop them.

But.

[There’s nothing more villainous than interrupting a youthful fight between high school boys.]

A teacher intervening in a youth high school drama instantly changes the genre from drama to school violence crime.

“But oppa, you are a villain.”

[That’s right.]

“Are you going to intervene?”

[Of course.]

I gripped my Goblin Club.

[Intervening at the perfect moment is what makes a ‘disruption.’ But.]

Even for a villain.

[When top fighters are using their ultimates against each other, you have to let them be.]

There’s a certain etiquette, a manner to uphold.

[Here I go.]

The greatsword of Cheok Jun-gyeong, now extended several meters, faced the giant dog with golden armor made of cast iron as it opened its jaws and leaped from its position.

And then.

KWADUK!

The moment the giant dog bit the horizontally swung aura blade, an enormous magical energy exploded from the bridge, coloring the world.

The winner is—